Nice To Meet You
by SmilinForYa
Summary: Jack Napier was in a depression. His crimes were getting so predictable and boring. He even walked out in the middle of one! So one night, he finds himself at a local bar, and the bartender catches his eye. And her name was Harleen Quinzel. One-Shot


As Jack Napier walked through Gotham's nearly empty city streets, with rain pounding in a tormenting fury, his mind was whirling with endless thoughts. He didn't bother putting his hat on; it was held limply in his hand, threatening to fall at any second.

He could barely see. The rain was making his vision indistinct. The lights of Gotham shone around him like distinct beams. He stayed clear off the road on account of the cars buzzing by; despite how late it was during the night hours.

His hair hung limply in his face, but he didn't bother wiping it away. His suit was plastered to his body, drenched in water. His recently-shined shoes were now gleaming from the puddles he stepped in. People didn't even notice the lone figure of Jack as he walked down, a deep scowl written plainly across his face.

He felt disappointed and oh-so bored. The crimes he was committing were getting so predictable, and less amusing by the second. At first he loved doing what he did—a murderer, and a dangerous gambler. But then the people failed to give him what he secretly wanted—which certainly wasn't money. It wasn't power. It was the thrill that he got when he saw the look on a person's face when he….

"Sorry," Someone apologized as they bumped into him. Jack kept his head declined, refusing to even acknowledge the person.

People were repulsive to him right now. How come his job wasn't as thrilling as it was before? What else did he _want_?

He glared at the ground as if it had slapped him. Inside his suit, where his hand was, he gripped onto the pocket knife in anger. Earlier, he just threatened he'd rip a guy to shreds if he didn't kill his wife. And of course, the guy wouldn't do it!

So, beyond frustrated, Jack walked out. He actually let them _go_, and _left_—something he's never done before. He didn't even bother killing any of them. An act so surprising, that pigs may as well just grow wings and fly.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where else to even _go_.

Jack Napier finally came to a gradual stop, gracefully inclining his head to squint through the violent rain. In front of him were blue and red lights, and he could make out only a few words and one caught his eye: Bar. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, put the hat on his head, and walked in.

People were dancing on the dance floor, Jack noticed immediately. But he didn't want to dance. He wanted to _think_.

Seeing how the bar was practically empty, Jack took a seat in the farthest corner. He slumped his shoulders, ducked his head, and went back to his continuous thoughts. He didn't bother taking his hat off.

"What can I get ya?" A voice interrupted his gloomy thoughts.

Slightly annoyed, Jack muttered, "Nothing."

"Alright." The person walked away.

Jack felt himself falling deeper into the abyss of despair. With each discouraging thought he had, the thought of no more thrill in killing, the more he felt detached from the world. Of course he knew he definitely wasn't normal, especially his job, but he wanted to at least be in touch with the world in which he existed in.

So, looking up with his hat hiding his features, Jack barely caught a glimpse of the bartender. It was a girl, judging by her short skirt.

"Hey," He said, his voice full of no emotion, "can I get a beer?"

"Sure!" She chimed. Jack almost cringed. She was too _happy_. Normally he liked happy people, but now when he felt so miserable. "What can I get ya?"

"A Bud Light."

"Comin' right up!"

Jack lightly tapped his gloved finger on the counter, returning back to his thoughts. He wondered if there was any other way he could…

"Here ya go!" The girl slid a cup of Bud Light to Jack. He took it without another word, taking a sip.

Normally he hated beer, or any alcohol. But tonight, he didn't really care. Tonight was just...

"So," Jack looked up finally to see the girl leaning against the counter, staring at him with a sympathetic yet bubbly smile. She had brown hair that was left falling past her shoulders in gentle waves. Jack couldn't help but notice how attractive she was, and because of his male mentality, noticed how low cut and tight the shirt she wore, and how it definitely showed off her feminine curves. She was everything she should be—a young woman, new to the world around them. "I couldn't help but notice ya were in the dumps."

Jack took another sip of his beer, enjoying the almost painful burning sensation it caused as it passed through his esophagus.

"Let me guess." The girl tapped her chin considerably. "Your girlfriend broke up with ya?"

"No." Jack found the ice in the glass suddenly fascinating. "No at _all_."

"Oohh," Jack inwardly cursed himself. Now he got her _interested_. "Something worse, huh?"

No way in hell was he going to spill his entire life story to her.

"Look," He started gruffly, "I came here to think." He shot her a harsh look.

The girl was unfazed and seemed oblivious to his annoyed expression. "Mind if I help?"

"Why?"

"Well, in case ya haven't noticed, you're the only one here." She said brightly. "And plus, I like talking. And I'm a good listener." She winked.

"It's complicated."

"I'm a smart cookie. I'm pretty sure I can keep up."

Jack hesitated. "I mean, _really_ complicated."

The girl smiled daringly. "And I'm _really_ smart. I know I probably don't look it, but I'm in college right now."

"You are?" Jack tried changing the touchy subject.

She shifted her feet, leaning on her other foot. "Well, I'm barely making it through. See, I'm aiming to someday become something _big_ to do with psychology."

Jack blinked. He tried imagining the animated girl as a boring old psychologist. It just didn't match up.

"Well I hear they get paid big." Jack told her. "Well, if you get your own office and everything."

The girl sighed dreamily, leaning her chin upon her hand. "Yeah, I know. I always like talking people through their problems and such. Giving them advice, ya know? So I figured, hey, might as well make an income doing it, right?"

"If you're good at something," Jack told her, "never do it for free. Try to make something out of it."

"Plus, I like helping people." The girl continued. "So I want to help people go through tough periods in their life. Talk them through it." She giggled. "It's funny. When I told my parents what my major would be in college, they thought _I_ was nuts."

"Well they do say that shrinks are crazier than their patients."

"Someone has to do the hard jobs." The girl watched Jack take another sip. "So I'm stepping up."

"That's good."

"So what's wrong anyway?" She stared at Jack for an answer.

Jack sighed, regretting this part. He could just walk out—it's not like he'd ever see her again. But for some odd reason, he slipped and opened his mouth.

"My job isn't as thrilling as it used to be." He admitted darkly. "At first it was so…_exciting_. But now, well, I'm never satisfied."

"Well what do ya do?"

Jack shook off his hat, stalling for a moment. He searched frantically for an answer. It's not like he can just tell her he rips off the mobs, or kills people. She'd probably call the cops or something. He couldn't have that.

She understood his cautious face and waved him off. "Hey, ya don't have to tell me. I understand if it's personal."

"Yeah."

"Well, here's what I say." She tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "I say you do something to make it more exciting."

He gave her a "no shit" look.

"Here's where creativity comes in!" She said enthusiastically. "Add some flare or something to what you do. Surprise someone."

That caught Jack's attention. "Go on."

"Make…make it _memorable_." She said. "For the person or whatever. Make them remember you. Well-known all over Gotham. Go _big_. I can tell you're not the kindda guy that's low in a job—you seem more like a bossy kind of guy."

Jack smiled to himself.

"It just doesn't match you. Being at the bottom of the food chain." Jack found the girl's bright blue eyes captivating. "Step up—like _me_! Do something different than you normally do! Sometimes changes are for the good, ya know? Ya always have to keep moving forward. I mean, if you're on the right track, you can still get hit if ya just sit there."

Jack nodded in understanding, pushing his drink away. He didn't need anymore.

The girl took it away with a proud smile.

"You should really consider doing those kind of pep talks." Jack told her with a smile. "Encouraging kind of deals."

"I know." She replied evenly.

Jack couldn't lie to himself. He felt better. Encouraged. His job wasn't totally useless! He could always do something different; change things up a bit.

"I'm gonna go." Jack told her, putting his hat back on. This time he felt more confident, and the smile stayed put on his face, the frown long gone.

"It was nice talkin' to ya." She told him with a kind smile.

He was just about to leave when he stopped himself, turning to look back into her blue eyes. He seriously considered if it was even possible to forget someone like her. "What's your name?"

"Harleen." She said. "Harleen Quinzel."

"Well I'm Jack Napier." He told her, before tipping his hat and leaving, back into the rain.

But this time, as he walked through the streets of Gotham, with the moon casting its dim lighting over his figure, the rain didn't bring him down. He barely even noticed the rain. This time he held his head up high and faced everything that came to him, feeling completely reenergized.

Harleen Quinzel…what a distinctive name.

He'd never be able to forget _that_ name.

* * *

A/N: I was looking through a Batman book in a store, which had TONS of information on almost every single character in Batman, and I looked at the Joker's (which was like four pages long). I noticed that before he was the Joker, when he was doing insignificant crimes, that he did in fact get depressed and walked out of a crime. So he did in fact go to a local bar, and did meet Harleen Quinzel while she was going through college. I found that so interesting! It was almost like they were destined to meet. And then I thought, how come he didn't remember her when he was getting treated by her in Arkham? But he must've forgot about her or something, and vise versa with her. People do forget things. Anyway, I found the entire thing fascinating so I wrote this one-shot. Hope you liked it!

All of it belonged to DC comics.

:) SmilinForYa :)


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